University of Calgary bows down to ransomware demands

The University of Calgary has handed over $20,000 CND to cybercriminals, who had launched a ransomware attack on the institution.

The University of Calgary has handed over $20,000 CND to cybercriminals, who had launched a ransomware attack on the institution.

It revealed that 10 days after its systems were affected, it has been unable to fully restore its systems back to normal.

This is despite efforts by its IT department to “isolate the effects of the attack”, which has allowed it to return, for example, email back to working order.

“The university is now in the process of assessing and evaluating the decryption keys,” Linda Dalgetty, vice-president of finance and services at the University of Calgary, said in an official announcement.

“It is important to note that decryption keys do not automatically restore all systems or guarantee the recovery of all data.”

“The actual process of decryption is time-consuming and must be performed with care. It is important to note that decryption keys do not automatically restore all systems or guarantee the recovery of all data.”

As the Canadian university stated in its announcement, this particular attack is part of a wider trend in cybercriminal activity around the world, which centers on extortion.

Describing the ransomware attack as a “criminal act”, Ms. Dalgetty explained that the relevant authorities have been notified and that an active investigation into the incident is now underway.